Daily Times

LAHORE: One of the highly respected, prominent businessmen and sports personality, Byram Dinshawji Avari, passed away in Karachi on 22nd January 2023 (Sunday night). He was 81. Avari was awarded with the Pride of Performance for Sports in 1982. He, along with his sons, owned and operated the Avari Group of Companies – a leading hotel management company in Pakistan — of which he was the chairman. The group owns and operates Avari hotels which include a five-star deluxe hotel in Lahore, five-star Avari Towers and seafront Beach Luxury Hotel in Karachi. The Avari Group is the first Pakistani company to have obtained international hotel management contracts: they operate a 200-room 4-star hotel in Dubai in United Arab Emirates and manage 200-room Ramada Inn in Toronto at Pearson Airport in Canada.

Byram Avari won Asian Games gold medals two times in sailing for Pakistan. The Pakistan Sailing Federation (PSAF) is the national governing body of the sport in the country. In the beginning, sailing activities were undertaken by the Karachi Yacht Club (KYC). However, the Pakistan Yachting Association (PYA) was formed in 1969. Byram Avari served as commodore of the Karachi Yacht Club in 1976 and 1980. In 1996, the name of PYA was changed to the PSAF. In Pakistan, sailing is restricted to Karachi only as no other city of the country is situated near sea. This game was considered to be the past time of philanthropists and Pakistan Navy personnel, who enjoy sailing off shores or pursue it for gaining professional efficiency. Pakistan’s first proudest moment in sailing came in 1978 when pair of Byram Avari, business magnate, and Munir Sadiq, Pakistan Navy, won Enterprise Class gold medal in the 8th Asian Games held in Bangkok, Thailand in 1978. The victory, which came as a big surprise, opened a new chapter in Pakistan’s sports history as the nation went on to dominate in that class for no less than 16 years before surrendering the title at the Hiroshima Asian Games in 1994.

It is interesting to note that the duo had entered the competition on their own. The most significant thing of the Bangkok feat was that as sailing was not officially recognised, the pair were not sponsored by the Government and they had to foot their own bill. The gold medal was the fruit of their hard work, perseverance and patience. The sport gained instant recognition in the country. The triumph, a new beginning, paved the way for the Government to grant official status to the PSAF. Byram Avari again won gold medal in the same class at the 1982 Asian Games in India. This time Avari’s partner was his wife Goshpi Avari.

Pakistan won their second gold medal in OK Dinghy Class through Khalid Akhtar in the 1982 Games. No doubt, these yachtsmen put Pakistan’s flag on top in Asia. A new Enterprise pair of water- oriented Naval officers Munir Sadiq and Mohammad Zakaullah emerged on the horizon and kept the country’s flag high at the Seoul Asian Games 1986 and Beijing Asian Games 1990. Pakistan’s supremacy surprisingly came to a halt when Munir sailing with his younger brother Mamoon, also a Naval officer, were relegated to silver medal at Hiroshima in 1994. The Munir-Mamoon pair for the second time had to be content with silver medal at the Bangkok Asian Games four years later. At the same Games, Naval officer Zahid Rauf also did the country proud when he captured bronze in Super Moth class. Thus it became the fourth boat after Enterprise, OK Dinghy and Optimist in which Pakistan excelled by finishing on the podium at the Asian level. Pakistan grabbed their third silver in Enterprise this time through the pair of Shehryar Arshad and Mohammad Riaz in the Asian Games at Busan, South Korea in 2002. Apart from the Asian Games, Pakistan sailors have brought numerous laurels to the nation in the World Enterprise, Asian Regatta and Optimist. In all, Pakistan won 10 medals — five gold, three silver and two bronze — in sailing competitions at the Asian Games. For these victories and medals, Byram Avari, a star of Pakistan sailing, laid the foundation.